Radio communication systems that provide cellular and land mobile communication services are known in the art. Such systems comprise infrastructure equipment, which includes equipment located at one or more sites, and subscriber units, which include portable and mobile communication units. Typically, a variety of equipment is required at each site. Such equipment includes radio base stations that support communication channels. A base station includes a receiver and a transmitter, where the transmitter amplifies the signal before transmission. This amplification generates a significant amount of heat during operation due to the internal components of the transmitter. In many cases, if left uncontrolled, the heat generated can permanently damage these internal components.
To maintain a desirable operating temperature of the transmitter, it can be cooled in a variety of ways. One widely used method is forced air cooling, where the heat generating devices of the transmitter are mounted on a heat sink that comprises a mass of thermally conductive material, such as aluminum. The forced air is provided by a fan located adjacent to the heat sink. The heat generated by the device is conducted to the heat sink, where the air flow from the fan dissipates the heat to the ambient air. Relative to other methods of cooling, such as liquid cooling, forced air cooling offers an economical solution that is relatively easy to incorporate in the design and manufacture of a base station.
As the transmit power of the base station increases, the heat generated also increases, and typically, larger heat sinks and more cooling fans are employed to dissipate the increased amount of heat. Larger heat sinks, however, afford less flexibility in system design and cost more to manufacture due to the handling difficulties during manufacture. To alleviate the need for larger heat sinks, multiple heat sinks can be aligned to dissipate the heat that is generated by the base stations. However, in prior art heat sinks, there is no pneumatic path provided for heat dissipation between juxtaposed heat sinks, thereby limiting their effectiveness.
Accordingly, a need exists for a heat sink assembly that is economical to manufacture and capable of providing greater heat dissipation without the disadvantages that are associated with large heat sinks.